Boston College School of Social Work will kick off the spring semester's Collaborative Research Forum series with a talk by Professor Jessica Black about neuroimaging studies and how they relate to education. Lunch is provided. More about the Collaborative Research Forum »

The Macro-SIL Program at Boston College School of Social Work is sponsoring a Leadership Speakers Luncheon Series during the 2014-2015 academic year. The program is designed to introduce Macro-SIL students and other BC Social Work students interested in leadership skills to the practical experiences of leaders in social-justice-oriented careers. Leaders are invited to campus to bring their expertise in administration, policy, change management/transformation, and social innovation to the discussions. They are interviewed about their greatest leadership challenge, their most important leadership lesson, and advice for students. A facilitated Q&A session with students will follow each interview.

Chrismaldi Vasquez is Associate Director of Family Independence Initiative, Boston, which leverages the power of information to support economic and social mobility. FII is proving that documenting and investing in the initiative and ingenuity of low-income families and communities is the most effective way forward. More about Macro-SIL Leadership Speakers Luncheon with Chrismaldi Vasquez »

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Stephanie Berzin Wins Award for 'Outstanding Use of Technology in Teaching'

Associate Professor Stephanie Berzin (fifth from left) and fellow winners of the Teaching with New Media Award. (Photo by Gabriel LaRusso)

MAY 27, 2014

This spring, Associate Professor Stephanie Berzin of Boston College Graduate School of Social Work was awarded a Teaching with New Media (TWIN) award by Boston College Instructional Design and eTeaching Services. The award, which recognizes faculty members for outstanding uses of technology in teaching, is just one proof point as to how BC Social Work is innovating to build leaders for the future.

"Every day teaching at the school of social work, I'm truly inspired by the possibility that my students are going to change the world," says Berzin. "By integrating the latest in technology into our classrooms, we are best preparing them for success once they leave campus and enter the workforce."

A group of faculty, students, and staff nominated Berzin for exceptional and innovative use of Canvas, a novel open-source learning management system. Canvas is designed as an online "communication hub" where students and professors can interact on class assignments and do so across various channels, such as email and social media.

"Canvas allows students to easily share their product with each other and with the course," explains Berzin. "Moving forward, whether for a competition or in searching for a crowd funding source, they’ll also be able to use this platform to pitch their ideas more broadly. This can be critical to both academic and professional success."